Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ Through Thick and Thin ❯ Go Home ( Chapter 7 )

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--THROUGH THICK AND THIN--

--Chapter 7--

--Go Home--

"She wouldn't come with me. She said she was going to find Vegeta."

"So you just came back without her!?" ChiChi shouted angrily.

"What was I supposed to do?" Goku asked innocently, his eyes widening.

"Try following her," the dark-haired woman growled. "Try making her return. Try-"

"It's not your fault, Goku," Bulma said quietly, interrupting the other woman. She had finally looked up from the wooden table, and ChiChi could see that dark circles outlined her eyes "It's mine."

ChiChi smiled sympathetically, her anger towards her husband forgotten for the moment, as she walked over to the blue-haired genius. "Don't blame yourself, Bulma." Her voice was soothing, understanding, and Bulma nodded despite the fact that she believed she should.

"I just hope they're okay." Her voice was a hoarse whisper as she dropped her eyes to the table again.

"I wouldn't worry too much, Bulma," ChiChi replied. "Vegeta is one of the strongest men in the universe, and Bra won't let anything happen to her. Remember, she is part Saiya-jin." She hadn't missed the "they're" in the blue-haired woman's sentence, and she knew exactly who Bulma was talking about.

"I shouldn't have kicked him out," she growled. "But... he shouldn't have been such an ass..." She looked up, her eyes wet. "Suppose he doesn't come back? Then what? I didn't expect him to take me literally!" Her voice cracked as she fought back threatening tears.

"Aren't you worried about Bra?" Goku asked. "I mean, I know Vegeta will be back, and unharmed, but what if Bra gets lost?"

ChiChi spun around, rounding on her husband. "That's why we sent you to bring her back!" She shouted.

Goku laughed, scratching the back of his head. "Oh yeah... Should I go get her?"

"No," Bulma told him. "Let her find Vegeta. It may encourage him to come back sooner."

"Why don't you just go talk to him?" Trunks said. He had been sitting silently nearby the entire time, but he felt that his voice needed to be heard at the moment. "Why don't you be the first to reach out?" Bulma opened her mouth to explain why she couldn't, but Trunks rushed on, ignoring her.

"Just tell him your forgive him! Mom, he has his own way of expressing his feelings; don't try to force him to change what he is!" His voice was becoming louder with each word, until he was finally shouting. He hadn't even realized that he was no longer sitting in the chair, but standing, his hands balled up in fists on the table.

"I know that he still loves you, and you feel the same way towards him!" He continued. "Are you going to throw all that away just because of some stupid argument? You've had this favouritism debate for years; what made this one so much worse? So maybe you were in a bad mood; are you going to let your previous grouchy and stubborn attitude get in the way of doing what you know you want to do?" It was only then that he noticed everyone was watching him, mixed expressions on their faces. They seemed to be waiting for him to continue, but he had run out of words. Embarrassed at his outburst, he sat down, his face red.

He waited for his mother's disapproval at his eruption, waited for her to argue back. But she didn't. "It was you who bought the gifts, wasn't it?" It was more of a statement than a question, but Trunks nodded slowly anyway. "Why?"

Trunks looked up. He would have thought that would be obvious. "Because we wanted to get you back together..."

"We?"

"Yeah... Bra was in on it too," Trunks explained.

"The writing was identical to your father's, and apparently the writing on your father's package was similar to mine."

"I copied it. The writing, I mean," he said.

"Exactly?"

"It took a while." It came out in a rather rude tone, but he didn't like his mother asking him so many questions. She knew he and Bra had done it; wasn't that enough?

"How did you know what we wanted?" Bulma demanded.

Trunks scowled. "Bra found out."

"How?"

"I don't know!" He shouted. "You know that we did it; what more do you want!?"

Bulma looked at her son for a moment, her face blank, before turning to Goku. "Can you find Vegeta?" She asked, "And take me to him?"

Goku smiled and nodded, putting one hand on her shoulder and the other to his forehead. A moment later they were gone.

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The car was parked on the ground nearby. He supposed that it would be both more comfortable and warmer to sit inside the vehicle, but he didn't want to move from the thick tree branch on which he was sitting. What was the point? He would sit in the car and do what? Drive around until he either got himself lost, ran out of gas, or fell asleep at the wheel? No, he preferred staying where he was, and falling asleep without having to worry about crashing.

Despite his efforts not to, Vegeta couldn't help but think what his mate and kids were doing. Were they getting along with their lives as though he had never been? Did Bulma regret her actions at all? What about the woman's parents? Did the dizty blonde even realize he was gone?

He snorted softly to himself. I refuse to let myself worry about them any longer. They brought this upon themselves... they do not deserve my concern. They're not worth it. Not at all.

He pulled his jacket tighter around him as the cold December air whipped through the branches of the trees. He began to debate once more whether or not to return to the car. No, he told himself angrily. It's only a little wind! I refuse to be driven in by a little cold.

Vegeta sighed as he leaned against the tree trunk. Forget about them. Move on. They have made you weak. You shouldn't have allowed yourself to feel such emotions for people. Weaknesses! He spit onto the snow-covered ground as though the thought left a bitter taste in his mouth.

His face darkened. He was weak. Weak because he loved the blue-haired woman, his teenage son, and his spoiled daughter, the exact look-alike of her beautiful mother. They made me weak, he thought sourly. I am a Saiya-jin Prince... I should feel no emotions. I should have no weaknesses!

His fist collided with the branch he was sitting upon in anger and frustration. A moment later a sickening crack echoed through the air and the branch began to fall towards the ground. Using his ki, Vegeta hovered in the air as he watched the branch land in the snow. Any sound it made was muffled by the white substance below. He growled as he landed near his car. He was getting colder by the second, and the crack of the breaking branch might bring him unwanted attention.

He opened the door of the vehicle and put the key in the ignition, but he didn't begin to drive. He sat staring at the white land without really seeing it. He couldn't force himself to stop caring about his family. It was impossible to do so, but he refused to return. Bulma had kicked him out, and he would not give her the pleasure of knowing he couldn't live without her.

With a frustrated growl, he hit his head on the car horn, sending a blaring sound through the trees.

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"He's around here somewhere," Goku assured her as they appeared beside a tree.

"Where?" Bulma asked, wrapping her arms around herself. In her haste to leave she had forgotten her jacket. She glanced around the woods for her mate. She knew he was nearby... she could feel it in the pit of her stomach.

"I'm not exactly sure... He's masking his ki," Goku replied.

The sudden sound of a car horn reverberated off the trees, and Bulma jumped in surprise, turning in the direction of the sound. A car..? She thought in confusion. Why on earth would someone be in the woods at this time of night? And sounding their car horn?

Goku spoke her thoughts aloud and tilted his head to one side as he inquired. Bulma merely shrugged. The horn had yet to stop sounding, and she was getting annoyed. It was by no means a quiet sound.

Goku chuckled. "Wouldn't it be funny if Vegeta was doing that?" He said, kicking at a clump of snow near his foot.

Bulma's eyes widened at her friend's words. Could it be? She wondered hopefully. Without warning, she dashed away through the snow, away from Goku and towards the sound. She pushed a branch out of her way, ignoring the snow that fell off the tree limb and onto her head. The honking became louder as she neared the source, and she came to a dead stop when that source came into view.

Vegeta's dark navy blue SL55 AMG Mercedes Benz convertible sat in the middle of the woods. Tears sprang to Bulma's eyes at the sight of it. She had found him. And, as Goku had chuckled about, the sound was coming from the blue vehicle.

She hurried up to the car and looked through the slightly tinted window. Vegeta's head was on the horn, and it seemed as though he had yet to notice her. Bulma lifted her hand to the window and hesitated. Would he forgive her? Would he see her, scowl at her, and drive away as fast as her could? She knocked on the window timidly praying he would hear her out, at the very least.

Vegeta jumped at the knock, and his head whipped around to look out the window. At the sight of Bulma, his eyes widened, then narrowed not a second later. He was about to ignore her and drive away when he saw the pleading look on her face. He sighed and shook his head slightly before pushing the button that rolled down the window. They eyed each other for a moment, waiting for the other to speak, before Bulma dropped her eyes.

"I'm sorry," she whispered. "I really am. I shouldn't have-"

"Oh! You found him!" Goku suddenly appeared beside light-haired woman, and he was looking through the window at Vegeta with relief, grinning widely.

Vegeta growled. "Go away, you idiot," he snarled.

"But I have to take Bulma back to our house," Goku explained.

"I'll take her back. Just go away," the Saiya-jin prince snapped, as he motioned for Bulma to go around the car and in the other door. He rolled up the window in Goku's face as his mate crawled into the seat beside him. Noticing her shivering, he turned on the heat.

Bulma smiled gratefully at the warmth, and at the gesture, before clearing her throat and beginning again. "I'm sorry, Vegeta. I shouldn't have gotten angry with you for showing favouritism. I understand now that you show your love in your own way." She looked down at her hands. "Can you forgive me? I'll understand if you don't... I really don't deserve it after what I've done, but I can't live without you, Vegeta. I don't know how I managed before I met you. I really don't. Please forgive me." She had begun sobbing sometime during her apology, though when exactly, she wasn't sure.

"Stop your crying," Vegeta said gruffly, glancing at the woman beside him. With a small nod, Bulma wiped her tears with her hand.

"I forgive you..." Vegeta said slowly. "But I hope you know I'm sick of this bullshit."

Bulma nodded as she continued to wipe the tears from her eyes. "Come home?" She asked quietly, her voice cracking with emotion.

"Fine. But never again," the warrior warned.

Bulma exhaled with relief as she wrapped her arms around Vegeta's neck. After a quick look to ensure that Goku had gone, Vegeta wrapped his own arms around the woman. His woman.

"We have to find Bra," Bulma said into his neck.

"Why?" Vegeta asked, pushing the cerulean-haired woman away from him slightly. "Where is she?"

"She went looking for you," Bulma explained. "Goku found her, but she ran away insisting that she was going to find you."

Vegeta's face darkened. "Do you have any idea where she is?"

"No... I don't even know where we are," Bulma said.

Vegeta raised an eyebrow at his mate. "We're in the woods just past the park across the street from the house," he told her.

Bulma's face lit up slightly. "Well, she can't be far, then. Everyone knows that when you're running away, you go into the park." She grinned, remembering how she and her childhood friends would see a someone, usually not much older than themselves, walking to the park alone and say they were running away.

Vegeta frowned. "Are you sure?"

Bulma nodded. "Positive. Besides, we have to start somewhere. Why not here?"

Vegeta shrugged and pulled his seatbelt over his shoulder. Out of the corner of his eye he could see Bulma following suit, and he put his foot on the pedal, slowly maneuvering the car through the trees.

"Try honking," Bulma suggested, "it might get her attention."

"It also might scare her even more," Vegeta pointed out. "How is she to know who's honking the car horn?"

Bulma nodded slowly. Vegeta had a point. "Then I'll open the window and call for her," she said, pressing the button to open the passenger window. Sticking her head out of the window into the freezing night, she hollered for her daughter.

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Bra pulled her knees to her chest and tried to stop her shivering. This was definitely a bad idea. Why did I leave home? She asked herself. Now I'm lost... And I haven't found Papa.

She didn't bother to wipe away the frightened tears and spilled from her azure eyes. What if I'm lost forever? What if I never get home?

Visions of her as a teenager played through her head, and she shuddered.

Bra stumbled through the forest, weak, sick, and wearing clothes much too small for her. Her hair was long and stringy, and looked as though it hadn't been washed in months. She was hungry and still lost.

Bra cringed and pushed the thoughts from her mind. Her head jerked up suddenly. Had she just heard her name? Or had she just imagined that she had? Was it only wishful thinking?

"Bra?"

It was quiet, in the distance, but it was there. She jumped up. "Mama!? Mama!?"

She started to jog in the direction her name had come from, then run when she heard it again. Was that a car up ahead? She ducked under a tree branch and recognized her father's blue Mercedes.

"Papa!!" She wasn't exactly sure how she had suddenly appeared beside the car, but the next thing she knew she was sitting on her father's lap, crying into his chest.

"You're back! You're back!" She sobbed. "I went looking for you... I thought you were gone forever!"

"And I thought you were gone forever," Bulma said from the seat beside her. "You scared me so much, Bra. You shouldn't have run away like that."

"But I didn't run away, Mama," Bra said, wiping her eyes, "I was looking for Papa."

Bulma smiled warmly. "I know. And it looks as though you found him."

Bra's face split into a grin as she hugged her father again. "Are you coming back, Papa?" She asked.

Vegeta nodded. "Yeah, Bra. I am."

Bra's smile grew even more at his words. "Good. I love you Papa; I'm glad you're coming back."

Vegeta grunted as he patted her head and pulled her off him. He put her in the back seat and watched as she did up her seatbelt. Then he turned to Bulma. "Where's Trunks?" He asked.

"He's at the Son's house," she replied.

Vegeta nodded. "Then that's where we will go first. Then we will go home."

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A/N: So, Veggie-chan's been found, and so has Bra. ^.^ I think that there's only going to be one or two more chapters... maybe three, depending on how long I make them, and whether or not I make an epilogue. The fic may have to be complete after Christmas... I really don't know how much time I'm going to get before the holiday. If that's the case, however, it should only be a week or two afterwards. Not too long ^-^.